‘A Shaker? Or a Kun? That’s quite a title.’ Samimi was shocked when she heard the name.
She couldn’t imagine what kind of person would have a title that combined “Hero” and “Sword Saint” together.
“Is Ground Poem the third-ranked guild?” Samimi asked.
“Yes. In terms of team strength, the strongest team is definitely the one led by the first-ranked guild, the Twin Heroes,” the girl continued her explanation.
“Is the first-ranked guild called Twin Heroes?” Samimi asked doubtfully.
“No, the top guild is called Sorrowful Knife. Their guild possesses two heroes, known as the Twin Heroes,” the girl explained.
“Listen to the titles of those other heroes. Looking at the title of the hero in our house, it’s practically pathetic,” Samimi said with a bitter smile.
Were the Hero of the Rusty Axe, the Hero Sword Saint, and the Twin Heroes even in the same dimension?
Even compared to the Hero of the Gale, Lotus Geas, Selina couldn’t keep up. She was simply too weak.
‘It seems the true Hero will be born from among those four.’ Samimi fell into deep thought.
However, she combined this with the original plot. ‘If our Adventurers Guild defeats Magic Sword Red, won’t that brat Lotus Geas have no Sword of the Hero to claim?’
In the original plot, the Hero of the Gale defeated Magic Sword Red and obtained the Sword of the Hero. Only then did she become the undisputed true Hero. Right now, Lotus Geas was merely in her larval stage.
Currently, there were heroes here who were stronger and more powerful than her. Plus, she, the Villainess, was meddling in the waters. Why should Lotus Geas get to enjoy the Sword of the Hero? Just because she had a big mouth?
‘But what does that have to do with me? If anything, my professional instincts tell me I should stop that girl from getting the Sword of the Hero.’
‘I am a Villainess, after all! Niubao is a Villainess too!’
Although Lotus Geas was one of the more friendly members of the Hero Party, Samimi didn’t particularly like her.
There was no point in mincing words; that person’s biggest character flaw was being excessively rational.
For instance, to save the world, she would sacrifice a teammate without hesitation. But that was simply the price of being a Hero.
Back when she was expelled, Lotus Geas had weighed the pros and cons for about two seconds before kicking her out. That was the result of her rational judgment; there was nothing wrong with it.
‘With the way that Miworm used to act, I would have kicked her too. I probably would have kicked her a few more times. Not throwing stones while she was down was already being a good person.’
Someone who was unwilling to sacrifice anything could never become a Hero. Indecisiveness would only lead to more deaths. Such people were better off guarding the seal of the Immortal King in the sewers.
Therefore, Lotus Geas likely had no obsession with her. She probably didn’t even remember her name.
Clearly, she was different from Selina. Lotus Geas didn’t even place much value on the Hero Party; she only valued herself. The team members were merely tools to her. She was an absolute egoist.
Would a person like that really chase after her, talking nonsense about rebuilding the Hero Party? Even if she did, it would be a judgment based on rationality and strength, not emotion.
‘If Lotus Geas insists on kidnapping me to rebuild the strongest team, I’ll just introduce her to my sister. She’s the perfect substitute for me.’
But all of that was nonsense because Lotus Geas wasn’t even here.
According to the original plot, she should be playing at being an adventurer around the Royal City. How could she have come to this No Man’s Forest?
Based on the current setting, the strength of the Hero of the Gale and the Hero of the Rusty Axe should be about the same. Both were genius girls who had yet to reach their full potential.
At most, Lotus Geas was better at solo combat. Without good teammates, Selina was just a piece of trash.
The Demon-Slaying Dagger used by the hero Selina was a legendary weapon with powerful armor-piercing capabilities. It was specialized for dealing with Magic Swords, but her solo combat ability was weak.
Regardless, these two minor heroes weren’t important anymore.
“There can only be one Sword Saint in this world, and that is the Dark Sword Saint of our Ecclesiastical Court.”
Currently, Samimi only had one thing on her mind: she wanted to test the depth of that Hero Sword Saint, Kun.
After finishing their noodles, Samimi claimed she was going for a walk. She then led Niubao out the back door of the weapon workshop and quietly slipped out through the back door of the Yaoguang Guild.
The two of them returned to the Weapon Sage Square to see if there were any new Demon-Slaying Daggers for sale.
They even posted a purchase notice on the billboard at the Weapon Sage Square: “Buying Demon-Slaying Daggers. If you have stock, please come to the Yaoguang Guild to find Lady Selina.”
She had already collected five Demon-Slaying Daggers. Theoretically, she was still missing two, but there was no more time to hunt for them.
This was because the grand expedition of the adventurer army was about to begin.
An event of this magnitude couldn’t proceed without them!
However, there were still several dozen days before the Great Expedition officially departed. They were currently in the military assembly phase.
The Ten Great Guilds were all actively preparing for war. Every adventurer who felt they were capable was trying to find a way into the ranks, even if it meant a battle where death was almost certain.
As Samimi and Niubao walked through the streets of Large Base No. 20, they could clearly feel the change in the atmosphere. The relaxed, leisurely vibe of resting between adventures was gone, replaced by a tense state of war preparation.
If you thought you were capable and wanted to join the Great Expedition, the best way was to go to the headquarters of the major guilds to self-recommend, sign up for trials, and join the main army upon passing.
The capable rose, and the weak were eliminated.
This provided the perfect opportunity for Samimi and Niubao.
Although they had already agreed to join the Yaoguang Guild and had secured spots for the Great Expedition, that didn’t mean they couldn’t sign up with other guilds. Passing a trial didn’t necessarily mean they had to join them.
This brought Samimi back to her original goal for coming south: to get Niubao more actual combat experience.
Experience only came from constant battles with the strong. Killing monsters could no longer satisfy their needs.
One would never progress by only playing PVE against AI. To become strong, one had to engage in PVP to experience the dangers of the world.
“Niubao, let’s go.”
A short while later, Samimi led Niubao to the headquarters of the number one guild, Sorrowful Knife.
Even though nightfall had arrived, a large crowd of adventurers had gathered at the entrance, clamoring about the Great Expedition as if they were possessed.
Members of the top guild were struggling to maintain order at the gate. The approaching adventurers first had to undergo a round of unfair visual screening.
The members of the first guild were selecting people as if they were picking out livestock, acting very arrogant.
“Hey! You, miss! Are you a Priestess? Priestesses can join the team directly. Come, come, come!”
They spotted Samimi in her white robes from a distance. They squeezed through the crowd to invite her to join.
“I have a companion here. Can she join the team as well?” Samimi asked.
“A companion? That’s difficult. What’s her level?” The Sorrowful Knife member looked at Niubao, his expression instantly becoming disdainful.
In her normal state, Niubao only carried a Divine Hammer. The Golden Sword and the Kun Knight armor were stored inside her ruby ring, so she looked quite weak, with nothing impressive about her.
“I am a Platinum Adventurer, and she is a Bronze Adventurer,” Samimi said.
“Bronze? That makes it even harder. Miss Priestess, you are qualified, but I really can’t let her join the team,” the guild member said, his face twisting into a frown.
“Brother, please give her a chance. She is my best friend. Let her go in and try the trial. If it doesn’t work, then forget it. Although this girl is a Bronze Adventurer, her strength is actually quite good. She’s a half-white,” Samimi suddenly put on a pitiful expression, pleading softly.
“Fine… well, alright. You two go in and give it a try.” Since the cute Priestess sister had gone that far, they had to let them through. Hesitating even a second would be a lapse in gentlemanly conduct.
In this manner, Samimi and Niubao passed through the gate and successfully entered the headquarters of the first-ranked guild.
The headquarters of Sorrowful Knife was like a military camp within the city, filled with adventurers. Everyone was gathered around the training grounds on both sides, watching the show.
‘A show? How can we miss out on that?’
Samimi and Niubao squeezed through the crowd and stood by the edge of the training grounds.
“Next!”
On the opposite side stood a row of elderly adventurers in formal attire. In front of them was a long wooden table where they were writing and drawing. They looked serious, the very embodiment of veterans acting their age.
If she wasn’t mistaken, these old men were likely the elders or high-ranking masters of the first guild. They had retired to become instructors and guild administrators.
Right now, they were acting as selection instructors and judges.
In the center of the training grounds, a tall, brawny man was pummeling a random adventurer.
If you wanted to join the Great Expedition army of Sorrowful Knife, the first hurdle you had to clear was this sturdy man.
“Stoneman has already defeated eighteen people in a row. Is there really no one who can beat him?” an adventurer nearby commented.
“Is his name Stoneman?” Samimi asked, finding the name awkward.
“No, his adventurer name is Unstoppable, but everyone calls him Stoneman. Look at how he’s trained his muscles to be like rocks. He’s a real giant, but he definitely has the strength to back it up. He’s a fighter who has already defeated eighteen people in a row without even losing his breath. I wonder if anyone tonight can pass his trial,” the passerby explained.
“You’re all trash! Come at me all at once! I don’t want to stay up all night!” Unstoppable shouted arrogantly after sending the nineteenth challenger flying with a single punch.
This statement immediately drew the ire of the crowd. Instantly, a large group of adventurers stepped forward and swarmed him.
However, Unstoppable performed a full-body spin on the spot, knocking out several people with a single move before executing a heartless shoulder charge. He was truly unstoppable.
‘Interesting.’ Samimi gave Niubao a look.
‘Understood.’ Niubao took the hint and entered the training grounds along with the others who were trying to fish in troubled waters.
There was no helping it. One could only say that the cliché of “playing the pig to eat the tiger” didn’t apply to them.
They could only return to the most primitive of tropes, which was also the technique Samimi was best at.
And that was to not hold back! Charge straight for the heart! A frontal assault! Crush them until they were flat!
“Like a hot knife through butter!”
Unstoppable was still charging around wildly. Even another eighteen ordinary adventurers wouldn’t be a match for him.
But just when the situation looked like a total defeat—
A shadow charged from the opposite side with the power of a thunderbolt!